The bloom of the Haleakalā silversword occurs just once. Soon after, the plant will die back, with keikis ready to take its place. Photos: Jeanne Lindgren

The sunflower-like flowers covering the stalk.

The rosettes of the silversword are specially adapted to the rough alpine environment.

﻿Striking a pose against the martian landscape at the summit of Mauna Haleakalā, the rare ʻāhinahina, or silverswords are presently in bloom, and wowing visitors. The inflorescence is worthy of the attention it gets from the one to two million visitors to the park, and its been said that this is a particularly good year for flowers. Silverswords are long-lived, anywhere from 5 to 90 years, yet flower just once, at the end their lives. This final reproductive event usually occurs in the summer months, when the silvery rosette sends out a stalk, sometimes as large as six feet, covered with as many as six hundred maroon flower heads. The resemblance of the flower head to a sunflower is a clue to its membership in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Viable seeds are critical for this threatened endemic. As they cannot self-pollinate they rely on insects, such as the yellow-faced bee to do this for them. While the inflorescence is simply stunning, the rosette of silver leaves is nothing to sneeze at either. Growing only on the slopes of Haleakalā at altitudes of 7000 to 10,000+ feet, the succulent and hairy leaves are adaptations to the arid, windy, and cold alpine environment. The parabolic reflector shape of the rosette aids in focusing sunlight towards the growing shoot tips, keeping them warm. A brethren subspecies, similarly remarkable, is found on Mauna Kea.

About the blogger: Jeanne Lindgren is a science teacher and nature enthusiast. She has taught and traveled throughout Asia and Europe and now makes her home in Honolulu. She welcomes any comments, corrections, questions or compliments on her nature journal, and wishes all who visit here many great nature experiences. Happy trails.